The art of healing lies within

Recently, I interviewed Brian Chambers, a fabulous massage therapist, acupuncturist and proprietor of Skylight Wellness (www.meta-ehealth.com/site/office/index.jsp). It was for the health column of the Rotarian International.

The story was to be a sort of primer on What is Alternative and Integrative Medicine? As it's such a vast topic, and because it's a rather conservative publication, Brian's comments never made it into my story. I'm glad to have this outlet to talk about some of his views, especially since this particular point has always been a sore one for me as well.

Brian talked about having experienced many "miraculous" results after folks used his services—about how people have bounced back from structural problems to organ dysfunction to debilitating pain. But, he said, he is always clear when he speaks to clients, stressing the body's innate ability to heal itself. "People heal. You heal. That's what the body does," he says. (Don't agree? Think about a simple cut on the finger to broken bones. You don't stay cut or broken forever; it fixes itself.)

Brian wanted readers and future users to know that the credit should always go to the organism, not to him--though his skills are certainly brought to bear to aid this rather awesome Master Plan. Any good practitioner will view educating the client as a lion's share of his or her calling. So stop and reflect on your body's innate ability and "pat yourself on the back," as Brian says.

That's why Brian is not crazy about practitioners describing themselves as "healers." That is not an allowable self designation for people in the healing arts! Let others come to you, love your work and get better. If they choose to call you a healer so be it.

What's wrong with self-described healers? It implies that you and I have no relationship to the methods the practitioner uses. And that's far from the truth; it's your body, your person, after all. We're partners in this. Spa going puts us in an unbalanced, vulnerable dynamic to begin with—almost naked and having given over power to a stranger for the next hour or so—why make it more so?

I'm all for the healing process just as long as we get equal credit!